Ferritic stainless steels that include chromium (Cr) as a constituent in the metal are preferred metals for devices and systems that operate at high-temperature because of their resistance to oxidation and their low relative cost including interconnect materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs), solar cells, and nuclear power plants. However, at high operating temperatures, chromium in these ferritic steels can form various volatile chromium oxides (chromia) within the metal matrix including CrO, CrO2, CrO3, CrO5, Cr2O3, Cr2O7, Cr8O21, and CrO2(OH)2, for example. When released from the metal, these species can preferentially adsorb to oxygen catalysis sites at electrolyte interfaces within the device cells including the cathode which can poison high-temperature reactions occurring in these devices or degrade power outputs in fuel cell systems at typical SOFC operating temperatures. Consequently, protective coatings on metal surfaces and substrates within these devices are required for operation. However, even when protective coatings are applied, chromia layers can form at the surface of these steels when the steels are exposed to high temperatures. High-temperature exposure can also weaken the coating bond strength at the surface and lead to flaking in a process called spallation. Flaking can lead to evaporation losses of chromium and chromium metal oxides from the matrix of these steels due to the formation of gaseous CrO3 and CrO2(OH)2 at high temperatures higher than about 600° C. which can weaken or embrittle the steels. While ceramic electrically conductive oxide coatings such as chromium manganite spinels can mitigate chromium volatility in interconnecting components, spinels are not easily applied to in-stack parts and other plant components in operation. In these atypical cases, aluminum-based coatings can provide more significant functionality including low-cost application, long-term oxidation resistance, reduced chromium evaporation, and improved seal durability. A previous innovation by these inventors was a Reactive Air Aluminization (RAA) process that formed protective aluminum oxide coatings on surfaces of assembled devices comprised of ferritic steel alloys at a typical process temperature of 1,000° C. that was significantly below conventional alumina-forming temperatures of 1,200° C. These RAA coatings provide suitably strong resistance to spalling and prevent the release of chrome from the coated substrates thus preventing cathode poisoning, and embrittlement of the steel alloy substrates often encountered at high operating temperatures in these devices. These protective coatings cannot be adequately produced on some specialty metals and alloys that have even lower melting temperatures. Accordingly, a need exists for low-temperature methods of forming protective alumina coatings on surfaces of metals and substrates for specialty applications and/or for reducing manufacturing and/or fabrication costs.